Naruto And The New Game
by Temairine
Summary: Naruto dies in the forest of death. GAME OVER. Yes, his life is now a video game, the starting point a year before he graduates the academy. Originally intending to do everything the same, just better, random game mechanics ensure that he does everything differently instead. New team, new jounin-sensei and new missions, even a new role as The Gamer/The Protagonist; chaos awaits.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi... somewhat new fanfiction. Looking back at my old fic, Naruto: A Troublesome Game, made me realize just how… iffy it was. I didn't really have a good idea where the plot was going, the merging of The Gamer and Fallout stat systems was a disaster in the making and I couldn't characterize Naruto properly. Thus I have discontinued it, and am working on this instead.**

 **Like its predecessor it's partially inspired by Konoha's Number 1 Knuckleheaded Player and Fractured Fate. Do check them both out as excellent examples of a video game plot style story.**

Naruto Uzumaki was a child often seen with a goofy grin on his face, to the extent that it was almost as much of a trademark as the colour orange and his love of ramen. Always an optimist in nature, it had taken his death to remove the look of hope, to change him. That much was certain, as, in yet another cruel twist of fate, the beasts native to the Forest of Death had left the upper torso while they focussed on consuming the lower half.

Nearby there were another two corpses, belonging to the other members of Team 7. Sasuke Uchiha's body had been unable to endure the curse mark that had poisoned both mind and body. Sakura Haruno had soon followed the boys into the abyss, her broken and alone state making her easy prey for the team of sound genin who came across the weeping figure.

And still Naruto was aware of this. Which was pretty odd all things considered, when half of you is on the forest floor and the other half in the stomachs of assorted monsters. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how it's interpreted, the boys disembodied ghost, for want of a better word was not anchored to a giant spider that had eaten his leg. Or the bloody wolf that had had the other one. No, Naruto had remained stuck in place above his corpse watching events unfold.

He was angry. He was angry at himself, for being helpless. He was angry at Sasuke for… well Sasuke was actually relatively blame free in this. Sure he'd given up the scroll, but when facing that creepy and insanely powerful opponent it was probably the correct course of action. And freezing with fear was understandable. Naruto had done the same himself on the wave mission, and again, insanely powerful enemy facing them. Back to the angry feeling pooling in his stomach. He was angry at Sakura, for not fleeing the moment Sasuke died, for staying to mourn the two of them.

Why couldn't she have left? She might have stood a chance then, had she not knelt over him, her tears washing the blood from his face and apologising profusely for just about every time she'd ever hit him or insulted him. Even though he would have wished for her to feel for him before, now he wished that she really had hated him like she professed before. At least she would be alive.

Mostly though his anger was centred on one person. The one man who could have prevented this from occurring. The one man who should have known better than to enter them into the chunin exams in the first place! Hatake Kakashi had taught them basically nothing. Tree climbing and teamwork didn't quite cut it against people who could summon giant snakes or break people's eardrums in a single move. Had they been taught more, or even better been taught more and entered into the following exams, they might still have died – but their chances would have been much, much better.

They were rookie genin! It was a rare occurrence for then to be entered at all, far too risky in most opinions! So why? Naruto hated to admit this, absolutely loathed it but of all of them Sasuke was the only one qualified to enter early. Naruto barely counted, and only because of the Kyuubi and shadow clones, of which only the latter could be used at will. Sakura was like a walking encyclopaedia at times, but was not proficient in combat of any kind, maybe enough to be a decent genin, but a chunin? No way. He wasn't being arrogant either, Naruto knew that he himself wasn't chunin material based on his current academy skill set.

And what did that say about a teacher when one student was competent prior to graduating, one was only just competent due to factors beyond a teachers control and one had little improvement. Naruto could think of a few things to say about it. Most of them being incredibly rude to the point that the orphanage would have washed his mouth out with soap, had the matron there heard half of one.

It was at that point that Naruto became aware of the words on a screen that was floating perpendicular from the ground directly across the clearing. Even stranger was the fact that he was now able to move his incorporeal limbs and take a step towards it. Though he couldn't step backwards afterwards. That gave him a moment of panic as he was now out from the tree's shadow and thus exposed. Before he recalled that he was now a ghost of some sort and since he could pass through solid objects a kunai shouldn't be a worry. The only thing that could hurt him now was some kind of exorcism jutsu, if one actually existed.

Another step was taken towards the screen, after trying to move his feet to walk at any other angle, and failing. The only way he could go was forwards, and Naruto wondered if this screen was the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It would make sense for this transient state to be temporary. Maybe the shinigami took time to process the dead or something?

So far Naruto had taken everything with comparative calm for someone who had just been killed. Even in anger he was managing to think things through rationally. However seeing the words floating in luminescent orange on the screen in front of him made the young man ponder his sanity. And then check for genjutsu. Because there was no way that the afterlife was a video game.

"KAI!"

The screen didn't move an inch.

"KAI!"

Again, the _obvious_ illusion did not even flicker in response. Naruto drew in his breath.

"KAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

This time the screen did waver in front of his eyes, but so was the world around him. A moment later a gasp for oxygen revealed that he had been yelling so long he had needed air, the waver being a slight moment of dizziness. Which was beyond weird as he was a ghost? So why did he need to breathe? And was his life seriously attempting to simulate a video game?

 **NEW GAME**

 **NEW GAME +**

 **LOAD GAME**

 **EXIT**

A video game… That was what these things were called… Weren't they? He had seen them used before, albeit rarely. But that was no reason for his life to become one! Still the idea of a new game, was that something like a new start? Naruto would give almost anything for one of those. A second chance in which he could make sure that no-one would have to die! And that made his mind up. He pressed the button titled New Game +. And then the questions started.

 **What is your First Name?**

"Naruto."

After pressing the confirm button that consequently came out of the bottom of the screen, the next question came.

 **Are you Male or Female?**

That was simple enough to answer, even if he had created the oroike no jutsu that only meant he took the form of a woman to defeat the enemy. It most certainly did not mean that he wanted to be one for good! Next up… Multiple Choice?

 **Trait Selection Screen!**

 **Tutorial: Traits make up a core part of both your character and play style. As such they come with both positive and negative factors that cannot be removed. You have to choose 2 Traits, in addition to the one that has already been pre-selected.**

 **Traits Chosen:**

 **[x] Kyuubi Jinchuriki**

 **Positive Features**

 **. Endurance begins at 3 points above average**

 **. 90 Additional Chakra Points per Level Gained**

 **. 45 Additional Health Points per Level Gained**

 **. Regeneration Skill Unlocked**

 **. Access to Kyuubi Chakra Reserve**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. No points may be removed from Endurance during Character Creation**

 **. Triple the Skill Points are needed in order to raise the Chakra Control Skill**

 **. Accessing Kyuubi Chakra Reserve causes bodily harm**

 **. Uncontrolled bad emotions have a 9% chance of auto-accessing the Kyuubi Chakra Reserve**

 **. Initial Negative Reputation with Konoha**

Naruto didn't actually take the news of the enforced perk too badly at first. It wasn't like he had been expecting to not be the Jinchuriki when he restarted. He had assumed it would be the same. Only when he had got past the positive features, and reached the negative ones did he start to get a bit annoyed, mostly at the auto-access feature. And then quickly calmed himself. After all, Naruto didn't know whether that might count as an 'uncontrolled bad emotion', which he could only have 10 times before probability stated he would draw on the Kyuubi's chakra!

Though before he had to get really, really angry in order to do so, and that had only happened on a couple of occasions. But circumstances could be different in the game thing. Naruto grimaced, he really didn't want to risk it. Accepting the fact that he'd have to keep himself under control for the time being, the boy moved on to the remainder of the traits he could choose. You never know, there might be one that would help.

 **[ ] Elementalist**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. You start off with 2 Elemental Affinities instead of 1**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. Both Elemental Affinities are weaker at start**

Naruto didn't know any elemental ninjutsu, so he really was unable to say whether this would benefit him in the long run.

 **[ ] Resistant**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. You gain +50% Resistance to Kyuubi Chakra and other Toxic Substances**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. Medical Ninjutsu, Medicine and Soldier Pills only aid half as much**

The only way this would be good would be if Naruto started using Kyuubi's Chakra regularly. Which was not going to happen. Otherwise he would be making potentially life-saving treatment more difficult. Though he hadn't ever needed healing before – a consequence of the Kyuubi. Humming under his breath, Naruto 's mind filed it as 'of mild interest', like the first one before checking out the following trait on the screen's list.

 **[ ] Keep Your Distance**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. +10% Damage when attacking at Range**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. -5 to all Charisma based Skills**

A definite no. He wasn't any good at hitting a target anyway and Konoha in general would already hate him, so why go out of the way to make himself less personable? Not happening.

 **[ ] Randomness Hidden in the Leaves**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. +25% chance of a positive random event occurring**

 **. Negative random events can be turned good**

 **. Increased number of random events**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. +25% chance of a negative random event occurring**

 **. Positive random events can be turned bad**

 **. Luck is fixed at 5 (normal)**

No, handling all the bad events that he knew were going to happen was more than enough, without factoring in the possibility of sporadic crises. No amount of nice stuff would make up for an equal amount of not so nice stuff.

 **[ ] Tyrannosaurus Rex**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. Your legs gain an effective +2 to Strength, though not exceeding the maximum**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. Your arms lose an effective -2 to Strength, though not below the minimum**

Again a no, he liked having a balanced body thank you very much!

 **[ ] Constitution over Chakra**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. Health increases much faster**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. 90% of the Chakra Points you would receive on Levelling Up are changed into health points**

And which would take away his ability to create shadow clones in large amounts. No, his one trump card was staying right where it was, thank you very much game. And one Lee was enough…

 **[ ] Genjutsu Buster**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. You gain a +25 bonus to detecting and dispelling Genjutsu**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. You are unable to cast Genjutsu**

Perhaps, though it would be nice to make illusions like the one on the door during the first part of the exam. If only he knew how good a bonus 25 points was!

 **[ ] Shadow Clone Jutsu (NEW GAME + BONUS!)**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. You start the game with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and permission to use it**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. None**

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Selecting New Game + was definitely a good idea, if it got him shadow clones without having to steal the scroll of seals. Now he didn't have to fail the genin exam, or if he did he could learn another useful jutsu in the time he had with it. Naruto did quickly check the last Trait, but it was another one he wouldn't consider helpful. Certainly nothing to celebrate about – unlike this one.

 **[ ] Sealed Talent**

 **Positive Features:**

 **. Seals now have +20% effectiveness when used**

 **Negative Features:**

 **. -20% to total number of Skill Points per Level**

Since these Skill Points sounded important, Naruto ended up choosing Dual Natured as his final Trait. The idea of having two affinities sounded like it could be of great use in combat, he had seen Sasuke's fireballs in action. And he had a faint memory from his academy days that told him that each element was weak to another. If he had two then that pitfall would be neatly avoided.

 **[x] Kyuubi Jinchuriki**

 **[x] Dual Natured**

 **[x] Shadow Clone Jutsu (NEW GAME + BONUS!)**

Then the screen moved on to the matter of his surname, only this time rather than asking him, Naruto was presented with a long list of names to choose from.

 **Aburame**

 **Akimichi**

 **Ayugai**

 **Benitsuto**

 **Chimaya**

…

 **Gotanda**

…

 **Hamakaze**

 **Haruno**

 **Hasimoto**

…

 **Higurashi**

 **Hyuuga**

 **Inuzuka**

 **...**

 **Kurama**

 **Kyogoku**

…

 **Nara**

…

 **Senju**

…

 **Uchiha**

 **Uzumaki**

 **Yamanaka**

The list went on and on, mentioning clans that Naruto had absolutely no knowledge about, or had only heard of in passing. He was pretty sure some of them no longer existed! And some of them were his classmate's families, which was strange. He flicked through the descriptions of several. Oddly enough each and every one was his mother's clan, with his father's name remaining a mystery for all of them. Why not his father – children typically took their father's name after all?

Upon tapping on the screen again Naruto found himself staring at one particular origin. The one that told him his mother's name. It was Kushina Uzumaki, who was a refugee from a hidden village called Uzu, that had been destroyed. Having no intention of changing his parentage a single tap asked him to confirm the bonus's he would get from this origin.

 **Mother: Kushina Uzumaki**

 **Stat Bonus: +1 Endurance**

 **Skill Bonus: + 5 Fuuinjutsu, + 5 Kenjutsu, + 5 Regeneration**

 **Unlocks: Chakra Chain Bloodline Perk**

After that was confirmed, Naruto finally got his first glimpse of information about his father. But still, no names were mentioned!

 **Father: Unknown**

 **Stat Bonus: None**

 **Skill Bonus: + 5 Bukijutsu, + 5 Ninjutsu, + 5 Fuuinjutsu**

 **Unlocks: Heritage Quest Chain!**

The only clues were in the bonus given, and that went beyond vague. But since he was controlling his temper, and the fact that ranting at the screen that it obviously knew who his father was since it had a quest based around the subject… Naruto drew in a deep breath and confirmed. He was promptly moved on to the next screen where he was able to see what these 'bonuses' actually did.

 **How SPECIAL are you?**

 **Strength: - 5 +**

 **Perception: - 5 +**

 **Endurance: - 9 +**

 **Charisma: - 5 +**

 **Intelligence: - 5 +**

 **Agility: - 5 +**

 **Luck: - 5 +**

 **Special Points: 5**

After a fair amount of experimentation he discovered that he could increase any SPECIAL stat up to a maximum of 10, and most could be decreased to a minimum of 1. The exceptions to this rule were the stats which had been increased by Naruto's traits. Not that having such a high Endurance was bad at all, he realised as he read the Stat Descriptions.

The question was now how he should distribute his bonus points? Strength affected damage done with Kenjutsu, Bukijutsu and Taijutsu. It also affected how much he could carry. Perception affected his accuracy with Kenjutsu, Bukijutsu and Taijutsu, as well as his ability to spot hidden enemies and pick up on small details. Endurance affected his health, stamina and Chakra levels, in addition to how fast they recovered.

Charisma affected people's reactions to him, which in turn improved his buying and selling prices. Intelligence affected something the skill points per level, his memory and his ability to rationalise. Most vitally it would improve his control of his chakra. Agility affected his attack speed, his skill with precise movements such as hand seals and aiming, and lastly his flexibility.

All of the above, in addition to what was mentioned, would affect certain skills – though Naruto still wasn't completely sure how. Then lastly there was luck, which affected everything, particularly increased chances of finding money and loot on a defeated enemy, which would come in useful.

Naruto was torn. All of them had great uses, but he could only increase a few. Intelligence would be good to have in the academy, and considering how bad his control was any increase would be a blessing. Other than that… strength? But when he fought Sasuke and the others in the academy the problem was that he didn't have enough speed, and couldn't read their moves – it was not that he did too little damage. Perception and Agility should be prioritized then, average Strength would have to suffice. Naruto spent his points accordingly before looking at his resultant Stats.

 **Strength: 5**

 **Perception: 6**

 **Endurance: 9**

 **Charisma: 5**

 **Intelligence: 8**

 **Agility: 6**

 **Luck: 5**

 **Special Points: 0**

After confirming his stats Naruto found himself with a new challenge… A gigantic list titled 'Skills'.

 **Skills**

 **Art: 11**

 **Bukijutsu: 15**

 **Chakra Control: 4**

 **Crafting: 10**

 **Fuuinjutsu: 23**

 **Genjutsu: 12**

 **Intrigue: 10**

 **Iryojutsu: 13**

 **Kenjutsu: 15**

 **Knowledge: 13**

 **Lock Picking: 11**

 **Mercantile: 10**

 **Medicine: 13**

 **Ninjutsu: 18**

 **Persuasion: 10**

 **Poisons: 13**

 **Regeneration: 19**

 **Seduction: 10**

 **Sensing: 11**

 **Stealth: 11**

 **Survival: 10**

 **Tactics: 13**

 **Taijutsu: 13**

 **Trapping: 11**

 **Skills Tagged 0 of 5**

After tapping on a skill, and therefore 'tagging' it, the corresponding number would increase by 10, giving it a significant boost. Unless the skill was Chakra Control, then it increased by a mere 3! Obviously the increased requirement for that particular nightmare was in action.

Chakra Control was still the number one skill picked despite everything. Naruto had had enough problems before to know the value of being able to manipulate chakra better. Maybe this time he could float that irritating leaf! Speaking of academy basics Taijutsu was also important, as was Bukijutsu. Ninjutsu too! They were all chosen, and last but not least Knowledge was selected. Who knows…? He might be one of the better students this time… If he wasn't your average lazybones that Shikamaru had freely admitted to being, he maybe could even be Rookie of the Year. How hard could it honestly be?

 **Skills**

 **Art: 11**

 **Bukijutsu: 25 - TAGGED**

 **Chakra Control: 7 - TAGGED**

 **Crafting: 10**

 **Fuuinjutsu: 23**

 **Genjutsu: 12**

 **Intrigue: 10**

 **Iryojutsu: 13**

 **Kenjutsu: 15**

 **Knowledge: 18 - TAGGED**

 **Lock Picking: 11**

 **Mercantile: 10**

 **Medicine: 13**

 **Ninjutsu: 28 - TAGGED**

 **Persuasion: 10**

 **Poisons: 13**

 **Regeneration: 19**

 **Seduction: 10**

 **Sensing: 11**

 **Stealth: 11**

 **Survival: 10**

 **Tactics: 13**

 **Taijutsu: 23 - TAGGED**

 **Trapping: 11**

 **Skills Tagged 5 of 5**

The world flashed around him before fading into the darkness. And a seven year old Naruto woke up on the day he was due to start the ninja academy. Luckily he woke up early as it took him a while to process that he was back in the realm of the living. And take in the changes. His body was taller, and better nourished. His apartment was not littered with the discarded packaging of eaten cup ramen. Though the next thing he noticed explained that.

The cupboards in his small flat had food, most of it dried. However there was a large supply of tinned fruit and vegetables. More horrifying though was a chart on the door's inside – one that limited his ramen consumption! No allowance was made for cup ramen and he ate at Ichiraku's only three times a week. Even then he was constrained to three bowls at a time. This was heresy! Against everything his ramen addiction stood for!

And yet… his body was a whole lot healthier. Measuring himself told him just how much change the ramen timetable had wrought. Naruto was exactly 155cm, at the age of 12?! That was actually ever so slightly above average, before he had never even reached that height range… Had increased intelligence and a new diet really made that much difference? A cursory glance around revealed a few basic cookbooks and another kid's book on healthy eating. The latter had clearly been thumbed through many times.

Far more interesting to Naruto was the glowing golden question mark hovering over a large pile of scrolls nearby. Could it be...? He reached out to touch it-

 **New Quest: Learning the Ropes!**

 **Description: Learn as much of the standard academy curriculum as you can…**

Picking up a handful of scrolls a mini-screen appeared, telling him the title of each one as well as the skill levels required to learn it.

 **A Basic History of Konoha [10 Knowledge]**

 **All the key events and figures in Konoha's past are covered here**

 **An Essential Guide to Shinobi Rules [11 Knowledge]**

 **A long, long list that's tiresome to memorise**

 **Chakra Theory 101 [10 Chakra Control, 12 Knowledge]**

 **All about understanding Chakra, both in theory and in practice**

 **General Genjutsu [Requires 14 Genjutsu]**

 **The basics of detecting and dispelling Genjutsu, and the core theory behind it**

 **Fuinjutsu Facts for Beginners [Requires 14 Fuuinjutsu]**

 **How to use seals and tell them apart**

 **Finding Out About Fire Country [Requires 14 Knowledge]**

 **Informs about the geography, politics and history of Fire Country**

 **Logistics: Avoiding Getting Lost [Requires Intelligence 6, Perception 6, Knowledge 10]**

 **Map reading and making at its most basic. Unlocks Mini-map.**

 **The Big Book of Bukijutsu [Requires Bukijutsu 17]**

 **From calculating trajectories to correct form, this book covers it**

 **The Way of the Wire [Requires Chakra Control 15, Trapping 15]**

 **How to manipulate wires through channelling Chakra**

 **Beginners Academy Taijutsu [Requires 9 Taijutsu]**

 **Adds all the beginners academy taijutsu techniques to your repertoire**

 **Intermediate Academy Taijutsu [Requires 14 Taijutsu, Beginners Academy Taijutsu]**

 **Adds all the intermediate academy taijutsu techniques to your repertoire**

 **Advanced Academy Taijutsu [Requires 20 Taijutsu, Intermediate Academy Taijutsu]**

 **Adds all the advanced academy taijutsu techniques to your repertoire**

 **Trapping: Tall Tales and Truths [Requires 13 Trapping]**

 **How to make basic traps, detect them and disarm them**

 **Hand Seals – A How-To [Requires 5 Knowledge]**

 **The correct forms of each hand-seal and their respective names**

 **Using Anatomy [Requires 15 Medicine]**

 **The physiology of the human body, including its weak and strong points**

 **Chemical Concoctions & Their Uses [Requires 13 Poisons, 13 Medicine]**

 **Identification of medicines and poisons, of a low level, and their ingredients**

 **Equipment Encyclopaedia [Requires Crafting 10]**

 **How to tell equipment quality and maintain it so it stays at its best**

 **[LEARN ALL?]**

 **Yes  
No**

Naruto quickly pressed the yes button, and suddenly an influx of information entered his brain. And he now knew stuff. Stuff like the reforms implemented by the Nidaime, which he must have zoned out or otherwise missed previously. He now could recall, with a bit of thought, every rule on that stupid shinobi code. And it went on – and on, and Naruto's knowledge had suddenly skyrocketed. He was by no means perfect, but he was definitely looking at a high score on the written papers. But only a few…

 **Failed to Learn:**

 **Chakra Theory 101 [1 more Chakra Control required]**

 **General Genjutsu [2 more Genjutsu required]**

 **The Way of the Wire [6 more Chakra Control, 4 more Trapping required]**

 **Trapping: Tall Tales & Truths [2 more Trapping required]**

 **Using Anatomy [2 more Medicine required]**

 **ABILITIES LIST UPDATED!**

 **VIEW?**

And after pressing yes Naruto was transported to yet another screen, with yet more stuff to take in.

 **Naruto Uzumaki**

 **HP: 135/135  
MP: 270/270**

 **Naruto Uzumaki is currently the dead last of the ninja academy, and has failed the genin exam twice before, when attempting early graduation.**

 **Abilities List**

 **Can identify common poisons and knows their uses  
\- No known poison recipes or synthesis abilities**

 **Can identify common medicines and knows their uses  
\- No known medicine recipes or synthesis abilities**

 **Can recall an intermediate amount of information about…  
-Konoha  
\- Fire Country**

 **Can identify basic to intermediate seals and can use them.  
Can make basic seals if calligraphy improves enough**

 **Can identify and map unknown locations of basic difficulty level**

 **Can make, detect and disarm basic traps  
Can identify basic to intermediate level traps**

 **Can make hand-seals correctly with genin level speed**

 **Can maintain equipment at a decent durability level**

 **Taijutsu List**

 **Beginner Level Academy Taijutsu - Mastered  
Intermediate Level Academy Taijutsu – Mastered  
Advanced Level Academy Taijutsu – Proficient**

 **Jutsu List**

 **NONE**

After closing the screen with a wave of his hand Naruto looked greedily at the four remaining scrolls. All three academy jutsu were there, along with his precious shadow clones!

 **Authors Note:**

 **Chapter ends here for now, just wanted to offer my apologies for the info-dump, I promise that this won't be standard issue for chapters, just the intro. Anyway, Naruto will probably be having a different team and definitely a different jounin sensei this time around. And yes he got a sudden power boost from the scrolls, but he's still not as good as Sasuke… yet. I've simply put him at academy passing level in most areas. Besides he can't learn from every scroll he sees, that would be way too over-powered. Like I said a starting boost.**

 **Chapter 2 should be out in tomorrow or the day after! Yay, I'm finally back to writing regularly now home stuff has settled down slightly. That and a-levels results have arrived!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Sorry for the delay, fanfiction account has been down for a while so I wasn't able to upload this before real life got in the way.**

 **Thanks to defiasstone2 for being a great beta and picking up on my many, many mistakes.**

 **Lastly Naruto is 12, this is his last year in the academy.**

Naruto was grinning as he picked up the precious jutsu scrolls, of which one stood out. A handwritten note was attached to it, in what he recognized as being the Hokage's handwriting. Quickly picking it up, and almost getting a papercut in his haste to unfold it, Naruto scanned the neatly written words.

 _'_ _Naruto, after due discussion with the Academy it was made clear that any clone jutsu would (fulfil) the examination requirements. As such I have sent you the scroll for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, as it requires the least amount of Chakra Control, though I must warn you not to field clones in large numbers or use them for intensive training as the memory feedback when the clones dispel has led to death before._ _Should it come to my attention that you have been behaving recklessly with this, then you will be prohibited from the jutsu's use.'_

Wait a moment? Memory feedback... now that he came to think of it he could remember seeing things that he really shouldn't have been able to see. Like an attack coming from a blind spot, one that he would have stood no chance of seeing - unless his shadow clone had! So no-one had thought to inform him prior to his death that what he was doing could kill him?! He could forgive Jiji, the old man wasn't responsible for him in the way his former sensei was. Plus the Hokage hadn't seen first-hand the number of clones he regularly used.

Now that was something Kakashi-sensei had definitely been aware of given the mission to Wave and their other missions. And as an 'elite Jounin, a title that Kakashi had always been visibly proud of in his own lazy way, then even if he hadn't known much about the Kage Bushin he could have asked Jiji to fill him in on the specifics of the jutsu. He certainly had the clearance for it even if he had genuinely not known the dangers of the jutsu. Which he should have.

Naruto quite clearly recalled some of the other techniques on the Forbidden Scroll and they were all harmful to someone, one way or another. He had been so proud to, finding a jutsu was awesome and low risk… only it wasn't. And he had been left in the dark due to indifference? Naruto didn't think that his sensei would deliberately let him use a potentially lethal technique. Though he freely admitted to not being the best judge of that at the moment, anger was making him less rational regarding Kakashi-sensei.

Quite frankly the only reason Naruto now thought that the man had been able to get away with his actions was because two of his genin team were orphans since a young age, who had no idea what was the correct way to teach, and the last one was of civilian origin whose parents had no idea either. From what Naruto knew the other teams had been given more training in their first week than Kakashi had given them in their entire time as a team up until Wave country. Now that he thought about it, probably due to the increased intelligence stat he had now, most of the clan kids weren't stronger because they trained at home, they were stronger because they had a jounin-sensei teaching them in addition to their clan.

From what Shikamaru had said about his mother's attitude to laziness Naruto had a momentary daydream about what her reaction to Kakashi-sensei would be. Preferably it would be something involving a frying pan, or a shadow jutsu, or both Naruto thought with a slightly malicious grin! Levity aside, the boy's attention turned back to the scrolls, all four of them, as he checked their requirements to be learnt.

 **Transformation Jutsu [Requires 7 Chakra Control, 8 Ninjutsu] Modified Variation [Requires 5 Chakra Control, 10 Ninjutsu]**

 **-1-A technique that, on the surface, changes the users form**

 **-2-Modified variation (NEW GAME + BONUS!) An actual physical transformation**

Naruto was a bit bemused, he'd thought that the Transformation Jutsu was actually physical. He really needed to pay more attention during class from now on, he'd managed to miss something that was pretty important. But for now it was time to learn both versions, and so he did.

 **Jutsu Gained: Illusory Transformation Jutsu  
Jutsu Gained: Actual Transformation Jutsu**

Taking the opportunity to go to his Jutsu List he found that not only did he have the two listed, he also was told their Chakra cost.

 **Illusory Transformation Jutsu: Initiation Cost: 5 CP: Maintenance Cost: 2 CP per minute**

 **Actual Transformation Jutsu: Initiation Cost: 20 CP: Maintenance Cost: 4 CP per minute**

The hand seals were also listed, but Naruto already knew them off by heart. Next up was the Replacement Jutsu.

 **Replacement Jutsu [Requires 7 Chakra Control, 13 Ninjutsu]**

 **Jutsu Gained: Replacement Jutsu**

This was oddly enough scaled, though thinking about it, it did make sense. Substituting with a small object was the norm, and if the object belonged to the medium, large or very large categories there was a larger drain on his Chakra Points.

 **Small Object: 5 CP (Above 10 centimeters but below 50 in largest dimension)**

 **Medium Object: 10 CP (Above 50 centimeters but below 200 in largest dimension)**

 **Large Object: 30 CP (Above 200 centimeters but below 500 in largest dimension)**

 **Very Large Object 120 CP (Above 500 centimeters but below 1000 in largest dimension)**

Which was reasonable enough. A Very Large object could very well be the size of a two story building, or even be one! Seriously his apartment block was only 900 cm high! He had measured it as part of a prank one day... traps were a precise business after all. So yes, being able to switch with a block of flats and then back again was pretty impressive, though he would have basically no chakra left afterwards. It was a pity about the range restrictions, Naruto was only able to switch with something that was within 10 meters (1000 centimeters) of him. Otherwise he could have had such an advantage!

The Clone Jutsu, as had been semi-anticipated was out of his reach for the moment. He had the Ninjutsu Skill, but his Chakra Control let him down. This time though, he would not be the dead last, not with his Shadow Clones.

 **Shadow Clone Jutsu [Requires 10 Ninjutsu, 8 Endurance]**

No Chakra Control needed, just a high Endurance and some basic Ninjutsu knowledge. Perfect.

 **Jutsu Gained: Shadow Clone Jutsu**

Not perfect. Not perfect at all. The description was ripping his plans to shreds. He could only make a single Shadow Clone per level?! What was up with that?! With only one Shadow Clone he couldn't pass the Academy, which required a minimum of two clones. And what about all the dangerous situations he would be in that could only be solved through liberal applications of them? What about them? No, calm, deep breaths, do not have 'uncontrolled bad emotions', do not use Kyuubi Chakra.

Think rationally, which was a new and rather pleasant feeling, Naruto willed himself to take a moment and think things through. He had a year in which to 'Level Up', and thereby be able to make an additional Shadow Clone. That was manageable. And since he wouldn't be stealing the Scroll of Seals this time round that meant there was not going to be combat with Mizuki, a chunin. So he could cope for now. Besides, it wasn't like he would be able to make many anyhow, even if his level rose. Shadow Clones cost 100 CP to make a single one! The only good news was that they had no maintenance cost since they had a Chakra reserve when they formed and would draw on that, dispelling when it became empty.

And then the clock on the apartment walls ticking alerted Naruto to the fact that if he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't be on time for the first lesson of the academic year. A blur of dark grey and burnt orange whizzed around, brushing teeth and packing bag, this Naruto still had a preference for orange, albeit a more subdued one. A moment was taken to grab some scrolls marked with a label titled 'Holiday Homework''. Then he door banged open, slammed shut and he raced towards the Academy at his top speed, which was slightly faster than he remembered. Maybe his agility was higher this time? He had boosted it above average...

Either way he made it to the academy in an adequate time, arriving a few minutes prior to Iruka-sensei and therefore having enough time to take a seat, place the homework on the desk in front of him, and observe his classmates. Sakura, Ino and a number of other girls were clustered around a familiar scowling figure, who was studiously ignoring their attentions and proclamations of how awesome he was. A smile came to Naruto's face as he gazed at Sasuke and Sakura, having watched their deaths it was slightly surreal to see them in younger form, but that in no way detracted from the happiness he felt.

His eye caught Ino's and she gestured to Sakura, whispering something. The pink haired girl muttered something, of which he could only catch the words 'Ino-pig', and pointedly looked anywhere except for Naruto's direction. The smile on his face died, as expected by the other children, though not for the reason of Sakura's rejection. Naruto was currently trying to work out what to do regarding Sakura. At the moment he really didn't want her to be the top kunoichi. And his reasons were far from petty.

Sasuke would be placed with Kakashi-sensei, if for no other reason than someone needed to teach the boy about his sharingan. Naruto could accept that, but since it meant that Sasuke, being rookie of the year, would automatically be partnered with the top kunoichi and the class dobe, and so would be on the same team as Sakura. He had to stop that.

Almost anyone, but Sakura, should go on the team taught by Hatake Kakashi. Every other girl in this class that had a hope of actually making the grade came from a ninja, if not a clan background and had access to additional resources.

But Naruto was not going to sabotage a girl who he respected, admired and quite frankly still liked in a romantic way. Nor did he want any of his classmates, even the nastier ones, to die in the forest of death. The ideal situation would be for the lazy sensei to simply not become one in the first place, although that was something he had absolutely no control over. All this was making Naruto's head hurt - there was just no right way to do this! He was pinching his brows in concentration when Iruka-sensei entered and called the class to attention.

"Welcome back! I do hope that all of you have kept up with your studies and conditioning over the break, or at the very least done the assigned work." Naruto gulped, taking a quick peek at 'his' work. It seemed to be correctly done, and it was his handwriting...

"Please come up in alphabetical order and place your homework on my desk, you'll be getting it back in a few days, marked."

This time there was an audible groan from the class, but they reluctantly shuffled forwards. Sakura looked quite eager though.

"Now today will be a quick assessment of your abilities... don't worry, it's not a formal ranking like an end of year one, just to let us know your strengths and weaknesses. The first item on the agenda is chakra control, so if everyone could take a leaf..."

This time one groan sounded out - Naruto's. Not once had he managed to float the stupid thing with his chakra - it just sat there! This time was no different, other than the message from the game received when he failed, yet again.

 **Skill Check: Chakra Control: 7/10: FAILED!**

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sakura levitating a leaf on each digit, and the one on her right thumb was moving steadily up and down in a controlled movement as she concentrated. Her Control was seriously impressive, and the only practical area in which she beat Sasuke. Who incidentally was also levitating ten leaves, but was clearly straining and there was no deliberate manipulation of them.

He did last longer than Sakura though, who stopped after the required minute, looking tired. Naruto just sat there for an hour getting the word FAILED flung in his face again and again. Most of the class had had an occasional success, even if it wasn't for the length of the required minute, and so he was firmly in last place.

"Okay everyone, now normally we'd have a written test, but your homework will be informing us of your academic aptitude... and dedication in some cases. So let's move on to target practice." Once at the range they were started off on the stationary targets at medium range.

They would then have difficulty increased or decreased according to skill level. Naruto had hopes for this, he had tagged Bukijutsu after all and just looking at the target he felt his body angling in order to release the weapon at the correct trajectory. And then he did release them, sending the kunai hurtling forwards.

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/20: PASSED: +5XP!**

He'd done it! Naruto took a moment to luxuriate in the looks of surprise on just about everyone's face, the sensei's included. All of his kunai hit the bullseye, giving him a perfect score that matched Sasuke's.

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/20: PASSED: +5XP!**

After he repeated the feat, but with shuriken he was taken for the first time to the long range targets. Beforehand he had been getting 6-7 hits out of 10 on the mid-range targets with the occasional bullseye, putting him at a bit below average. Now though, Naruto shifted his feet excitedly with glee, he had improved greatly. The target did look much smaller, but he still felt relatively confident that he could get a decent amount of hits to it.

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/25: PASSED: +8XP!**

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/25: PASSED: +8XP!**

Now there were some obviously gaping mouths. Only 3 students out of 45 would get a bullseye every time on those targets, and Naruto was not one of them. Iruka clapped him on the back, offering him a smile as he was moved on once again, except this time the target was at the beginner level. But Naruto wasn't protesting as the boy standing next to him was Sasuke, who was currently giving him a speculative look. They were the only two students to be eligible for the moving targets, though Hinata and a couple of others had come close to getting the above average score needed to qualify.

He was nervous, despite himself. The difficulty was upped, and he'd only barely managed to get a bullseye last time. The question bothering him was did he fail completely when a skill check failed, meaning he would not hit a single time, or would it scale, giving him a few hits. Naruto didn't know, since his only experience with skill checks were the complete failure that was the leaf exercise and the complete success that his bukijutsu had been so far. And then it was time for him to throw and it was not nearly as easy as before.

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/30: FAILED!**

 **...**

 **Skill Check: Bukijutsu: 25/25: PASSED!**

The game had worked its way down to Naruto's current bukijutsu level from the Skill Level needed, presumably to get a perfect score. As it was Sasuke beat him with 9 hits out of 10, 2 to the bullseye, whereas Naruto had got 7 hits and not a single one landed dead (centre). It was his loss, clean and simple. He hadn't even got any XP for his efforts. And speaking of that, how much did he have to get in order to level up in the first place. Returning to the Abilities List he noticed a small number in the top right hand corner.

Level 1: XP: 26/100

Alright! He was already a quarter of the way there! And with that Naruto started practicing on the moving targets, each time getting 7 hits and no bullseyes. It wasn't exactly the same, sometimes he would miss on the first three throws and land the next seven, other times it would be mixed, or even the other way round. The results remained static.

The only thing that changed was his Abilities List, which now held a section stating his perfect abilities with stationary targets, but only an average score on moving ones. Which was better than before, as Naruto knew that they didn't test with moving targets in the genin exam, they were put there so that advanced students talents didn't stagnate. In short he was facing full marks on the bukijutsu section of the graduation exam.

He was still grinning at the thought of that when they were taken to the sparring rings and the teachers began to pair them up for a 'Taijutsu ONLY' spar. Iruka-sensei said that last bit with particular emphasis, and a pointed look at Naruto. The blonde could only shrug helplessly, it was Iruka-sensei, so it wasn't general dislike due to the Kyuubi, so that meant that his past self had done something. A prank most likely, like the time he'd defeated Kiba by burying a weight activated springpad under a specific spot. That match had been declared invalid, with good reason in retrospect, he wouldn't have beaten Kiba otherwise.

And as luck, or fate had it he was paired with Kiba, who started boasting about his future win. Akamaru provided support from the side, barking enthusiastically. The match started later than the others after Kiba chose to argue that Akamaru fought with 'dog-style taijutsu' and should be allowed to join in. Only after Naruto asked the boy if he felt unable to beat him alone did Kiba back down. Or, as he put it, rose to the challenge.

They made the seal of confrontation and Naruto quickly realized that even with upgraded Agility Kiba was faster than him, and stronger, and they seemed to have roughly the same Perception.

 **Skill Check: Taijutsu: 23/18: PASSED: +7XP!**

But Kiba's comparative lack of skill in Taijutsu moves was countered by his excellent reflexes, and as such he was still winning. This was because Naruto just couldn't take advantage of the openings left by his opponent, and given how he was pushed back steadily when he blocked the stronger boy was going to push him out of the ring, giving him the victory. And Naruto didn't want that. Not now that he had finally improved.

So Naruto changed tactics, if Kiba was winning due to physical dominance then Naruto would just have to use the area which he knew for a fact he was better than Kiba in. Intelligence was the name of the game now as Naruto started stalling for time, mind racing through several possible strategies - and settling on one. From then on Naruto's mix of blocks and feints became less spontaneous and took on a set pattern, one which was obvious to the chunin-sensei and several of class, including Sakura and Shikamaru. It was a set of moves that one mixed and matched depending on where you wanted the enemy, or in this case sparring partner to end up standing.

Kiba, thoroughly into the mock battle, didn't notice anything other than Naruto being a bit more predictable than usual. Swooping in for an attack Kiba was suddenly slammed into by Naruto, who had launched himself upwards and crashed their heads together. The world whirled for both of them, but Naruto had anticipated it, he had initiated the collision after all. Kiba stepped back and to the side, giving him space to regroup, but which also took him out of the ring.

Naruto had won his first spar in goodness knew how long and it felt great. Except for his head, that hurt, a lot. The pain conflicted with the adrenaline buzzing through him, it was all he could do to make the seal of reconciliation. But he had managed to win against Kiba, he had managed to win against Kiba, and he had... gained more experience!

Opponent Defeated: Kiba: Level 3 Version: +30XP!

Kiba had been level 3! No wonder it had been harder to beat him, and yet he, the dead last had done it! And while some might say that since Kiba was towards the bottom end of the class rankings, it wasn't much of an achievement, if a subject by subject approach was taken then Kiba was in the top 10 for Taijutsu. Every, single, time. So, yes Naruto was pleased, his head had finally stopped throbbing and his next opponent awaited (him).

Toishido Chiaki had civilian parents, and was quite strong for his size. But the fact that he was now shorter than Naruto worked against him, also Naruto now being more skilled at Taijutsu contributed to a fight that was somewhat one-sided.

Skill Check: Taijutsu: 23/13: PASSED: +2XP!

It only lasted a minute before Chiaki was in a secure hold, which in turn led to another message.

Opponent Defeated: Chiaki: Level 1 Version: +10XP!

Naruto was now at a solid 75/100XP and he really, really, really wanted to level up today. The sooner he could produce two shadow clones, the better.

"And now we have only one lesson until the Academy ends, so I want you all to keep your minds keen while we practice ninjutsu. Remember if you cannot do something, ask one of the sensei's for help."

There were a few giggles as Naruto walked up to Iruka straight away. They probably thought he was going to ask for help on the Clone Jutsu. Instead he planned to check with Iruka-sensei discreetly as to whether the Academy knew about his permission to use the Shadow Clone technique.

Probably not the best idea to simply use a B-Rank Kinjutsu in class with Mizuki-sensei present, especially given it was a jutsu from the forbidden scroll the man so coveted. And if Mitarashi Anko was anything like a representative sample of the Torture and Interrogation Department he didn't want to be taken there. Especially not to experience the former of the two occupations the departments employees specialised in. He in no way trusted Mizuki not to have him dragged off without checking first, which he could actually do, if he wasn't aware.

Huh? Naruto guessed that memorizing all those reform laws regarding the academy through the scroll had more than just academic benefits. It had practical academy usage as well. Increasing Intelligence and Knowledge had been a wise move.

And after receiving reassurance that he wouldn't get arrested from a trusted source Naruto set about practicing. The Illusory Transformation Jutsu was just weird, he looked like the Hokage but his limbs were all the wrong lengths so what he saw didn't quite match up with his movements. Hence he was notably clumsier. And after bumping into Choji and almost making him spill his barbeque crisps - an act which earned him a glare from the boy, he set about practicing the Replacement Technique. The jutsu itself he had no issue at all with, he was however trying to get the hand seals to be even more quick, but with no loss of precision. He had time, and Chakra Points.

Last but not least he summoned a single Shadow Clone, which drew no attention at all. It did look the same as an ordinary clone and no-one was watching him make an alternate hand seal, so it wasn't unrealistic though. It was as class ended that the precious XP finally came his way.

 **Achievement Earned: We All Have To Start Somewhere: +25XP!**

Your first day at the Academy is over, and you've managed to show your progress!

 **LEVEL UP!**

 **Art: - 11 +**

 **Bukijutsu: - 25 +**

 **Chakra Control: - 7 +**

 **Crafting: - 10 +**

 **Fuuinjutsu: - 23 +**

 **Genjutsu: - 12 +**

 **Intrigue: - 10 +**

 **Iryojutsu: - 13 +**

 **Kenjutsu: - 15 +**

 **Knowledge: - 18 +**

 **Lock Picking: - 11 +**

 **Mercantile: - 10 +**

 **Medicine: - 13 +**

 **Ninjutsu: - 28 +**

 **Persuasion: - 10 +**

 **Poisons: - 13 +**

 **Regeneration: - 19 +**

 **Seduction: - 10 +**

 **Sensing: - 11 +**

 **Stealth: - 11 +**

 **Survival: - 10 +**

 **Tactics: - 13 +**

 **Taijutsu: - 23 +**

 **Trapping: - 11 +**

 **Skill Points: 15**

Naruto quickly placed 2 points into Genjutsu, so that he could learn that book, 2 went into Medicine for the same reason, after that he tentatively placed the remaining points into Chakra Control and seeing it go up to 11, enough for him to finally get that leaf exercise he confirmed his selection. The next screen was much, much more interesting.

 **Perks: One Selectable Per Level!**

 **Intensive Training [3 Ranks]**

 **+1 to any SPECIAL Stat**

 **Better with Blades [2 Ranks]**

 **+5 Bukijutsu, +5 Kenjutsu**

 **Jutsu Keep Trying [Unlimited]**

 **+1 Random Jutsu that you meet the requirements to use**

 **Swift Learner [3 Ranks]**

 **+5% Experience**

 **Bookworm**

 **+2 Knowledge, +2 Medicine, +2 Fuuinjutsu, +2 Poisons, +2 Tactics**

Naruto eventually went with the Bookworm Perk because it offered more overall improvement and none of the other options were too attractive. Intensive training was too precious, he didn't know his own style at the moment and so those 3 potential points were going to be spent during future level ups. Swift learner was too small a boost to really affect Naruto right now, 5% would have given him a mere 2XP extra, simply because most experience earned was in the single digits and thus wouldn't have increased at all. Any Jutsu he got would probably be weak, he might get lucky and find a second Shadow Clone Jutsu, but he doubted it. His Bukijutsu was already good, he didn't know any Kenjutsu, so that left Bookwork as the best option.

That evening, filled with Ichiraku's ramen Naruto headed off to bed happily. Ramen always put him in a good mood. Ramen combined with growing stronger to protect his precious people was bliss. He now knew about Genjutsu Theory and Basic Medicine, thanks to the scrolls he had greedily absorbed, and Teuchi and Ayame had praised him as he related his 'brilliant spar' and his 'awesome bukijutsu'.

And like that another day ended, with Naruto's young mind already filling with abstract ideas of how he could gain some more xp tomorrow…


End file.
